The HCM City Department of Transport wants the transport ministry to pull down toll fees on the HCM City-Trung Luong Expressway to lure more vehicles into this route.

In the petition sent to the municipal government on Monday, the transport department said traffic accidents on the National Highway 1A section in HCM City’s Binh Chanh District had picked up quickly.

In the first four months of 2012, nine cases of traffic accidents occurred at this area, claiming 11 lives, up 10 percent year-on-year, and injuring two.

Since the HCM City-Trung Luong Expressway began to collect toll fees in February 25, the number of semi-trailers and container trucks travelling on the expressway has dropped 33.4 percent to some 18,800 per day and night. Due to the exorbitant toll fees of as much as VND640,000 for a round trip, heavy trucks have switched to National Highway 1A, leading to a surge in traffic accidents.

In response to this situation, the city’s transport department has adopted many measures such as setting up speed limit signs of 40 kilometers per hour, expanding the motorcycle lanes and installing reflective nails between traffic lanes. Nevertheless, due to the high traffic density, these measures show little effect.

Therefore, the transport department petitioned the city’s government to make a request to the transport ministry, seeking lower toll fees on the HCM City-Trung Luong Expressway.

Earlier, in February, the HCM City Goods Transport Association proposed a 50 percent reduction in the HCM City-Trung Luong Expressway toll fees, saying the current toll rates are too high. However, the Ministry of Transport has turned down this petition.

Later, upon request of deputy prime minister Hoang Trung Hai, the transport ministry sent a document to the Ministry of Finance, suggesting a 25-30 percent toll fee cut. Still, there has been no official decision on toll fee reduction so far.